MariaDB developers
Contract rates, popularity and trend data for MariaDB, plus how it compares with other relational databases.
Overview
MariaDB is a relational database, ranked #13 of 431 on DB-Engines with a popularity score of 86.4.
MariaDB is declining, down 8.4% year over year on DB-Engines. The installed base is still large, so maintenance, tuning and migration work continues.
Contract MariaDB specialists typically bill $81–100/hr, against a W-2 equivalent salary of about $130,300.
Relational databases by popularity Trends →
DB-Engines popularity score for the 12 highest-ranked relational databases. Updated monthly.
What MariaDB developers cost
Contract and salary benchmarks for the US.
Contract rate
C2C or 1099, from W-2 hourly × 1.3–1.6 for tax, benefits and overhead.
W-2 equivalent
BLS median for US software developers ($135,980), adjusted -4% for MariaDB using Stack Overflow 2025 pay data (432 US respondents who use it).
Full-time contractor cost
Per year at 40 hours a week.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) for Software Developers. Rates vary with seniority and how deep the MariaDB work goes. Compare W-2, 1099 and C2C, use the rate calculator, or see rates by state.
Competing databases
How MariaDB compares with its nearest rivals.
| Database | Model | DB-Engines rank | Score | YoY | Contract rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQLite | Relational | #12 | 95.9 | -15.9% | $84–104 |
| Microsoft Azure SQL Database | Relational, Multi-model | #14 | 76.0 | +0.8% | – |
| Apache Hive | Relational | #15 | 74.1 | +2.0% | – |
| IBM Db2 | Relational, Multi-model | #9 | 113.2 | -10.1% | – |
| Microsoft Access | Relational | #17 | 64.9 | -31.9% | $71–88 |
| Google BigQuery | Relational | #19 | 52.4 | -13.8% | $99–121 |
Relational databases closest to MariaDB in the DB-Engines ranking. Contract rates shown where Stack Overflow 2025 has enough US respondents to estimate one.
Need MariaDB developers?
Tell us what you're building. We take on contract development work, from MVPs to extra hands on an existing team, and we'll reply by email.
- MVPs and new products
- Developers for your existing team
- Rescuing stalled projects
- AI features
Questions
How much does a MariaDB developer cost?
Contract MariaDB developers typically bill $81–100 an hour (C2C or 1099), with a W-2 equivalent salary of about $130,300. Agencies usually charge 2–3× W-2 pay.
Is MariaDB growing or declining?
MariaDB ranks #13 on DB-Engines. Its popularity score changed by -8.4% over the past year and it is among the databases losing the most ground.